Fred N. Wier

Frederick Newton Wier (July 4, 1861 – October 31, 1936) was an American politician and lawyer who served as district attorney of Middlesex County, Massachusetts from 1893 to 1902.

Fred N. Wier
District Attorney of Middlesex County, Massachusetts
In office
1893–1901
Preceded byPatrick H. Cooney
Succeeded byGeorge A. Sanderson
Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives for the 22nd Middlesex District
In office
1891–1892
Personal details
Born(1861-07-04)July 4, 1861
Lowell, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedOctober 31, 1936(1936-10-31) (aged 75)
Lowell, Massachusetts, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseBertha Baker (1896–1936; his death)
Alma materAmherst College
Boston University School of Law
OccupationLawyer

Early life

Weir was born on July 4, 1861, to Newton John and Caroline (Peabody) Wier in Lowell, Massachusetts.[1] He attended Lowell Public Schools and graduated from Lowell High School. In 1882 he graduated from Amherst College. After working in the business world for three years, Weir decided to study law. He studied in the office of J. M. Marshall in Lowell and graduated from the Boston University School of Law in 1887.[2] On December 9, 1896, Wier married Bertha Baker at St. Anne's Church in Lowell.[3]

Wier was admitted to the bar in 1887 and worked in the office of A. L. Pillsbury until 1899, when he formed a partnership with Larkin T. Trull in Lowell known as Trull & Wier.[2] In 1891, Wier represented Charles J. Tighe, who was charged with the murder of Peter E. Johnson, a member of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head. Tighe was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to 7 years in prison.[4][5] Trull and Wier were joined by a third partner, John Michael O'Donoghue, in the 1910s. The firm of Trull, Wier, & O'Donoghue was counsel for the Boston and Maine Railroad, Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway, and the Middlesex Safe Deposit & Trust Company.[6]

Politics

From 1891 to 1892, Wier represented the 22nd Middlesex district in the Massachusetts House of Representatives.[7] From 1893 to 1901, Weir was district attorney of Middlesex County.[1] In his final year in office he oversaw the prosecution of Charles R. Eastman.[8] He did not run for reelection in 1901 and was succeeded by his assistant, George A. Sanderson.[9] In 1907, Wier served as Lowell's police commissioner. He was granted a salary by the city council, but refused to take it.[10]

Later life

From 1931 to 1932, Wier was president of the Massachusetts Bar Association.[11] He continued to practice law until his death on October 31, 1936.[12]

References
  1. Amherst College Biographical Record of the Graduates and Non-graduates. Amherst, Massachusetts: Amherst College. 1927. p. 431. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  2. Gould, Levi S. (1905). Ancient Middlesex with Brief Biographical Sketches of the Men who Have Served the Country Officially Since Its Settlement. Somerville Journal Print. p. 261. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  3. "District Attorney Wier Married". Evening Tribune. December 10, 1896. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  4. "The Tighe Murder Trial". Boston Evening Transcript. October 19, 1891. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  5. "Tighe Sentenced". Lewiston Evening Journal. October 31, 1891. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  6. Fifield, James Clark, ed. (1919). The American Bar. Minneapolis: The James C. Fifield Company. p. 391. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  7. Annual Register of the Executive and Legislative Departments of the Government of Massachusetts, 1892 (PDF). 1892. p. 962. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  8. "Charles R. Eastman Goes on Trial Tomorrow Charged with Slaying Richard H. Grogan Jr". The Boston Globe. April 21, 1901.
  9. "Sanderson for Wier's Place". Boston Evening Transcript. July 25, 1901. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  10. "Lowell". The Boston Globe. August 15, 1907.
  11. "State Bar Elects Wier as President". The Boston Globe. December 20, 1931.
  12. "Death takes attorney Frederick N. Wier". Lowell Sun. October 31, 1936.
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